Boko Haram: Army takes over operations

The army has taken over operations in the
battle against Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa states. The states have been under a state of
emergency since May 14, following the
lingering insurgency by the fundamentalist
sect, which seeks to islamise Nigeria. The sect has been responsible for the deaths
of almost 3,000 people, the maiming of others
and dislocation of hundreds of thousands. The sect members have also claimed
responsibility for killing of students and
burning of schools. In Borno, no fewer than 800
classrooms have been burnt, according to
Governor Kashim Shetima. The attacks on
schools and killing of pupils are in furtherance of the meaning of the sect’s name – “Western
education is a sin”. A new division of the Army purposely set up for
counter insurgency will today take over the
control of the three states. The Joint Task
Force (JTF), which has operated in each of the
states, will be scrapped. The JTF was composed
by troops drawn from the three services of the Armed Forces as well as other security
agencies that conducted the operation. Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen.
Chris Olukolade said the Army Headquarters
will assume command of the troops with
immediate effect. He said the change of baton was in line with the
plans laid out for the conduct of the operations
to execute the mandate spelt out in the May 14
declaration of State of Emergency by President
Goodluck Jonathan. The operation is now code-named Operation
BOYONA, an acronym derived from the names
of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. “The effort was meant to constitute the first
phase of the counter-terrorists operation. The
Nigerian Army will now be solely in charge of
the operations, but still under the routine
guidance of the Defence Headquarters. “A General Officer Commanding (GOC), in the
rank of Major General, is being proposed to
command the new Division which will have its
Headquarters in Maiduguri. He is due to take
over Command and the assets of the
Headquarters of the Joint Task Force”, Brig. Gen. Olukolade’s statement added. In spite of the appeal for peace and ceasefire
by government through the amnesty
committee, the sect has refused to bulge. It remains divided, with some of its leaders
opting for the olive branch while its leader
Abubakar Shekau insists there is no deal. In another video posted on the You Tube last
week, Shekau even boasted that he could not
be caught and dared United States President
Barack Obama, French President Francois
Hollande and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to arrest him. He vowed that insurgency would not stop. There has been no let-up in the killings by the
sect. No fewer than 18 people have been killed
in recent clashes between government troops
and the Boko Haram sect. Eleven were killed on Thursday in a fresh
attack perpetrated by suspected sect
members in Damboa, Borno state according to
sources said. Earlier Friday, seven Boko Haram members
were killed in an exchange of fire with
policemen in Gombe state,. In Damboa, residents alleged that foreigners,
who spoke Arabic and were mostly fair in
complexion, were among the attackers. Ayamu Lawan Gwasha, representing Damboa at
Borno House of Assembly, told Chinese news
agency Xinhua, that his people were still living
in “perpetual fear.” Damboa is located in the southern part of
Borno. It is a major base of Boko Haram which
launched its insurgency in since 2009. A total of 50 people were killed last Sunday
when suspected sect members launched an
attack on Konduga Community, located not far
from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital